The Hero of Shaemoor
by Carribu
Summary: Brulent is a young female guardian from Divinity's Reach who wants more from her life than being commoner. However, through out her journey, she learns that the world is a war hardened place and she needs more than just a sword to survive. Rated T for language and violence. Based on personal story along with in-game experiences through the character's eyes.
1. Chapter 1 - The Garrison

_My story is not easy at all. I have faced hardships that I only imagined happened outside of Divinity's Reach, where the evil spreads and roots itself into the ground. I was born as a commoner, one of many living under the soft and gentle reign of Queen Jennah. My parents ventured outside of the walls into the province of Queensdale one day and never returned. Crying my eyes out, I ran to my best friend Petra and her father, Andrew. They took me in and he raised me as if I were a second daughter. I was trained at a young age in the art of the Guardian. My affinity for support magic became well aware to my friends, my extended family so to speak. Eventually I felt prepared to venture outside of the white walls of Divinity's Reach. Petra worried and fussed over me, like always, but I managed to silence her fretting. There was so much out there to explore and know. Even if it was just Queensdale, I needed to experience action and Divinity's Reach was just filled with nobles and merchants with high prices. My life existed outside of the walls. My life should be exciting. I was not prepared, though, for what was about to happen outside of those gates._

Brulent's eyes grew wide with fear. This was not supposed to be how her first day outside of Divinity's Reach began. A few miles outside of Divinity's Reach was the village of Shaemoor which stood as one of the many protections of against the centaurs. She walked most of the morning, nibbling on some meat and bread, so that she could get to Shaemoor to look for job postings. She did not have enough experience for the Seraph yet so guard jobs and small group hunts would have to do for now.

Brulent was not exactly the picture of the typical guardian. Short for her age of nineteen years, she inherited her mother's pale purple eyes and her father's icy colored hair. These were common in Kryta though so she was thankful not to stand out. Thankfully she had also cut her hair before she left, giving herself a very short yet feminine style that was much easier to maintain. Her years of training toned out her arms and legs but she cursed her hips and chest for their unfortunately obvious curves. Approaching the crossing to go to Shaemoor or to go deeper into the woods of Kryta, Brulent noticed the smoke going up into the sky in wisps followed by billowing pillars. Her armor clanked a bit as she ran down the road. _It's not dark enough yet for a bonfire_, she thought, _and the weather is slightly warm so it's not that cold_. She pushed herself more to make it and finally reached the entrance.

The vision she had of Shaemoor was not what she saw before her.

Flames licked at the buildings and villagers shrieked out while centaurs rode in with stained iron swords. She panicked and dove to the side when a rough looking centaur rushed through shouting. Too many legs to be a man, too much of a brute to be a horse – centaurs were one of the terrors that Kryta fought head on. There was a belief that they were attacking from the Woodland Cascades, north of the Hinterlands, but no one could ever get close enough to break through to find out. Brulent looked around and found a Seraph archer in the bushes. "What's going on? There shouldn't be centaurs in Shaemoor!" Sweat dripped down his temple as he reached back for another arrow. "You're correct," he said. "However, while Lieutenant Kilgane was leading the resupply party out, that left only a few soldiers in charge. It happened in a blur. Another lieutenant is in the inn trying to hold everything down and make a rally point for any villagers passing through. Go talk to her, she can give you more help th—" And just like that, he was cut off with an arrow straight into his heart. His skin paled slightly and she realized it was a centaur archer. Brulent pushed down to wedge around into the bushes and make her way to the inn. Once there, she met up with the lieutenant, currently arguing with one of the soldiers. "Ma'am, it's the Captain though. He needs more help." The lieutenant shook her head. "I know, he needs more men. But with this being the only rally point in all of Shaemoor, what can I do?" Brulent looked up when she heard mention of the Captain – Captain Logan Thackeray, to be exact. The leader of the Seraph and champion of Queen Jennah herself, Logan was a hero to all of Kryta and a bane to the ministers. "Captain Thackeray needs help? Where? I'll do whatever I can." The lieutenant looked her up and down. "Name?" "Brulent, ma'am." "Go then, I trust that you know what you're getting into. Head up the road and take the right path to the garrison. Captain Thackeray needs help there. If we can hold the garrison, pushing the centaurs back will be no problem." Brulent gave a quick salute to the lieutenant. "Ma'am, who was she?" "I'm not sure, but if she's willing to risk her life to help Shaemoor, I won't stop her."

Brulent grabbed a mace and ran to the garrison. She slammed down a centaur after casting a shout on herself for additional support. The gates cracked open to allow her in and there stood Logan – mace and shield, holding a barrier on the open gates of the garrison. "Alright, listen up. They're going to rush through across the bridge to make a final push. If we can take down their rushers, the chieftain will come out. We can take him down as the source of their power." Brulent watched him carefully. Even when the odds were against him, Logan stayed calm and sure of his plan. Sure enough, centaurs started storming the bridge. Brulent smashed a symbol into the ground and knocked down more centaurs time and time again. Logan cast shouts and held his barrier for healing. Finally, the chieftain stormed down to the garrison gates. He specialized in earth magic, casting out rocks and pulling up stones from the river under the bridge. Brulent dodged around, finally leaping to smash a symbol under him but no damage was done. She looked up, mouth slightly gaped open, to see the chieftain with a grim smile. "You fools think you can defeat me?" He galloped off to the center of the hill outside of the garrison. Using forest magic, he summoned an earth spirit from the rocks to control a massive whirlwind. Brulent started to back away but saw Logan rush right into the spirit. _No_, she thought. _I came to help Captain Thackeray and I won't let him or Shaemoor down!_ She rushed back and swung around at the spirit's rough rocky hands, not paying much attention to where on it she hit. After what seemed to be an eternity, the ground began to shake. "BRACE YOURSELVES!" Logan shouted to the Seraph. With a loud silence, Brulent was launched back and slammed into a tree. She saw someone in heavy armor standing over her and shouting, but nothing came out of their mouth. As they reached down to help her up, everything went black.


	2. Chapter 2 - Her First Glimpse of Kryta

_Bränning? Mother? Father? Where are you? Why is it so dark…why does my head pound and throb?_

_Dwayna, I beg you, do not take me just yet. I have so much to do…so much to see._

Brulent woke to a small cabin around various villagers and members of the Seraph. _Where am I? Who…am I? No wait, I know who I am, but I don't know where I am. _She glanced over to find a priestess helping her up. "What's going on? Where's Captain Thackeray?" The priestess chuckled. "You've been unconscious for three days now. Captain Thackeray brought you here personally." While Brulent tried to process her memories, the priestess continued. "You have had visitors though! Being the one to save Shaemoor from a modniir chieftain is no easy task. A few Seraph, some of the local villagers, and even a barkeep from the city and his daughter. She visited every day." Brulent smiled to herself. "Yes, that would be Petra. I hope that they aren't too worried about me. I wouldn't want them to be scared. But what do I do now?" The priestess gestured towards the window looking out over Shaemoor. "Tyria shines bright this morning, so fresh air and the warm sun will do wonders for you. Dwayna blessed you with a safe recovery, perhaps you could help others?" "Will do, it would be an honor to serve Shaemoor again."

Walking out of the cabin, she noticed other hopefuls who had come from Divinity's Reach as well. Had the news of her victory had that much of an impact? She couldn't help but wonder. Her hand absent-mindedly went to her waist but found nothing. "I guess I lost that mace I had…" she said to herself. Near the bridge to the Shaemoor fields there was a small town square near the inn. Specialized training and crafting booths were everywhere. "Training to be one of the Krytan Elite? All heroes start their journey here! Come for your weapons!" Brulent looked over and saw a weapon vendor. The priestess advised her on how to thank Dwayna but she wasn't exactly equipped for the task. She walked over and approached the merchant. "Armor class, please." "Oh! Um…" "What is the weight of your armor, dear." "Right, sorry. Heavy armor, ma'am. I'm a guardian…in training." The merchant smiled at her. "Well then, these are the weapons suitable for the heavy class." She waved her hand over them as Brulent watched in amazement. "What did you just do?" "Oh, just a little enchantment. This way, you can carry those weapons with you in your bag and they will activate or deactivate when you hold them or want to switch." Brulent fumbled around in her side pouch for some money but the merchant lightly touched her arm. "You don't owe me a thing, my dear! Beginning adventurers pay nothing for these basic weapons." She smiled and waved while Brulent ran off across the bridge.

"So where do I go? How do I know who needs my help?" The handmade water system in Shaemoor was crude but effective. The crops were glistening with small drops of water as the multi handled spout slowly rotated. Brulent was almost completely relaxed with the sight of farming that her new "companion" shook her out of her trance. "Are you a hero?" he asked her, slightly panicked. "Well, I guess so? What's wrong?" "Please help, my boss' farm is being overrun with bandits and wurms. We have to save the cows!" _The cows?_ she thought, but went with him anyway. She rummaged through her side pack and found the greatsword. The heft almost pulled her down but she slowly adapted to the weight. Bandits were a large problem in Kryta. There were rumors that the White Mantle, a now defunct cult set on dethroning Krytan royalty, was secretly still active and assisting the bandits. Wurms were just large and a nuisance. Brulent began to swing and cleave at the wurms, slamming them down into the dirt. Finally, the queen erupted from the earth. A few more adventurers joined her and quickly, the wurm was brought down. The farmer rushed out from her house to thank them. "Thank you so much, my workhands and I are in your debt. Please, take this compensation for your work." She handed Brulent five silver coins. Walking back to the bridge, she felt slightly breathless. Being an adventurer took a toll on your body and spirit, but it gave such a rush. After selling some items she looted from the bandits, she decided to stay the night at the local inn then head back to Divinity's Reach in the morning. After all, Petra and Andrew were probably on the edges of the seats wondering what happened to her. She had other reasons to return though. Brulent now had a connection to Logan Thackeray, the captain of the Seraph and the Queen's Champion. But in her absence, she wondered if Petra and Andrew were alright. They weren't exactly in the slums of the city but it wasn't the queen's palace either. Anxious as she was, she pushed herself to sleep that night so she could check on her loved ones.


End file.
